Music : Mountain Battles

Rating: - Marvelous Misery
Misery is the thing here and a finely articulated misery at that.

It's difficult to imagine anyone cracking a smile in the studio
during the recording of this, The Breeders, fourth album.

Jollity is not of course a prerequisite for fine music.
There is something quite admirable about the consistently po-faced
frown and pout managed here by Ms(s) Deal and Mr(s) Lopez and Medeles.

The band, none-the-less, often manage to achieve unintentional hilarity.

'Here No More' is the kind droll minor key country hoot Ms Welch would be proud to have written.

'Night Of Joy' a dour promise of anything but.

The stripped-down minimalism of 'Mountain Battles' a near masterpiece
in potential suicide provocation.

Uptempo numbers 'German Studies', 'Overglazed', 'Walk It Off' and the splendid 'Bang On'
shift the emotional pace slightly without losing the overall mood of morbibund gravitas.

The lilting guitar and melody of 'Regalame Esta Noche' almost offers some
near-romantic respite but somehow the music still manages to sound
as though it might be rising from an open grave.
A surefire hit for El Dia De Los Muertos.

'Spark' is perhaps however the true highpoint of this sustained exercise in depressive debauchery.
Taken together with the tick-tock, time-passing-slowly, rhythm of 'Istanbul'
I very nearly lost the will to live.

Highly recommended !

---

Rating: - Think they forgot the music
Really boring album. All the tracks are slow and quiet and are basically just Kim talkin over a guitar being gently strummed.

A breeders fan and not impressed.

---

Rating: - Bang On
This album probably won't win any new fans but to the converted it shouldn't hold any surprises; it's a typically bittersweet eclectic set from the Breeders and will grow on you each time you hear it.

Definitely worth a listen, preferably through a good set of headphones, to fully appreciate the 'All-Wave' i.e. Analogue recording technique which seems to be rubbished by the media in these days of digitised drivel.

---

Rating: - What happened?
This could have been a great EP but as an album it's a huge disappointment. Title TK was a fascinating record but Mountain Battles just meanders about a bit and ultimately frustrates the listener. A couple of great songs padding out an album of duds.

---

Rating: - another great breeders album
If you like their other albums your love this I. It's great as its different to the other ones in a good way with cool songs that rock out, nice mellow numbers and everything else in between. I wasnt disapointed at all and im surprised the other reviewers are being so harsh, i think its good when bands dont churn out the same old thing go buy it. It got 8 out of 10 in nme too.

Also the limited edition version is a digi pack with a cool little booklet design that slots inside.